10 Tips For Prepping Your Listings In This Frenzied Spring Market

There’s no better time to showcase your listing than spring. With these tips, you’ll be the expert your clients need to sell their home in this fast-paced market and get them top dollar for their sale.

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Springtime is finally here — don’t we know it — and homebuying season will soon be in full swing. If you’ve got clients thinking about selling their home, now’s the time to help them get their house ready to make a great first impression on buyers.

Don’t wait! With so many flowers in full bloom and the weather warming up, spring is the perfect season to showcase a house.

Although sellers are king in most markets due to the low inventory, there’s still a trick to making a house stand out so you get full asking price (and potentially more). With these few easy tips, you can make your seller’s home look the best it’s ever been and get it sold in no time.

1. Bring in the natural light

Everyone loves natural light. Open the curtains and raise the shades to allow natural light to brighten up the rooms. In some rooms that have more privacy, your sellers may opt to remove window treatments and shades altogether.

Make sure to brush off the dust and clean the floors throughout the house so it doesn’t hamper the flow of sunlight. Also make sure to remove items that have faded from the sun.

2. Add a fresh coat of paint

A fresh coat of paint can dramatically change the appearance of a home for the better — and it’ll likely leave an amazing first impression on buyers. Although it might be tempting to tackle this the DIY route, encourage your sellers to hire a professional painter who has the proper materials and will get the job done right from the get-go.

Because repainting can be expensive, get several different quotes to make sure your clients are comfortable and know you’ve done your research. Nobody wants to deal with a sloppy paint job, so picking the right person for the task is really important.

3. Update the art

A simple and inexpensive upgrade that can help boost the appeal of your sellers’ home during showings is updating the art inside.

Taking down personal photos and replacing them with something more generic that enhances the décor will add a polished freshness to the home’s interior. It will also help buyers feel comfortable and see themselves living there.

4. Bring in some spring scents

There are so many factors that can kill a home sale — and unpleasant smells is high on the list. Make sure the sellers get rid of pet odors and the smell of cooked food and old carpets.

Spring is a great time to buy flowers and bring natural fragrances into a house. Not to mention, your clients will see you going the extra mile to help them sell. Buy floral-scented candles, and consider asking your clients to have the carpets and rugs professionally cleaned if needed.

5. Declutter the house

This is important to showcase not only the cleanliness of the home but also the potential space that a homebuyer will have. Encourage your sellers to get rid of anything unnecessary that is out in the open.

Keeping the home looking minimal and clean is key. Make sure everything in the house has an organic place and that nothing feels forced.

6. Keep pet toys and goods out of sight

We all love our furry little companions, but keeping their stuff out of view is probably best in this situation. You also have to consider that some home viewers may have pet allergies.

Advise your sellers to move dog beds, food and water bowls, and other accessories to a more secluded place like the laundry room or closet. If they have a cat and litter box, they may want to consider temporarily moving it outdoors or into the garage to avoid any smells wafting into the house.

7. Add fresh plants inside and out

It’s springtime, and there’s no reason why your sellers shouldn’t show that off. Encourage them to replace their outside landscaping with some fresh plants and flowers to really brighten things up.

They can also bring some of that springtime inside and introduce beautiful and pleasant-smelling flowers and plants to brighten up the inside of their house.

8. Consider small renovations

Renovating a house can be expensive, and it may be the last thing your clients want to do before selling. However, let them know they may actually be able to recoup the cost of renovations — and maybe even more.

Prepare a list of items that could be refinished or easily renovated, as well as those that would take more work with potential expenses, and compare that to how much more you could list the home for.

For example, rather than replacing doors and cabinets, you could recommend your clients repaint or simply add new hardware on the cabinets. What’s more, remember that curb appeal can go a long way in making a good first impression, so don’t forget to include updates to the landscape and front walkways.

If it’s within the budget, you can propose that your sellers have a pre-inspection to identify anything that needs repairs before the house goes on the market.

9. Remember that photography makes a difference

In most cases, a potential buyer’s very first impression of a house is through a photograph. Taking the time to create quality photos of the home or hiring a professional could truly be a difference-maker in selling that house this spring.

Make sure that your sellers showcase their home through photography in a way that’s beautiful, enticing and realistic. Homebuyers should be desperate to learn more about the house just by looking through the photographs.

10. Take advantage of the spring market

There is no better time to show off your seller’s home than during the spring season — so the time to act is now. With these tips, you’ll be the expert your clients need to sell their home, and you’ll be better positioned to get them top dollar for their investment. Below, you’ll find additional tips for preparing for spring and making your listings stand out: